Category: Act Of Defiance

On Tuesday, I was lucky enough to sit down with Henry, the singer from Act of Defiance to talk about the band, the new record, and music in general. You can read the interview below:

What inspired the name of the band, what are your influences?

“When we started out, we found out a major issue, which is that a lot of the names that you can think of are usually taken, and when we did finally settle on Act of Defiance I initially thought it was a homage to Exodus. But as it is, the name’s meaning can be open to interpretation.”

“As for my influences, well I’m all over the place there. My dad got my into classic rock as a kid, so Steppenwolf, Credence Clearwater Revival, Pink Floyd that sort of thing. Then I discovered Headbangers Ball and I discovered metal. And this was in the days before the internet, so I became a serious tape trader, trading with people in Mexico, South America, Western Europe. I discovered black metal, death metal, the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, that way.”

How did you approach recording Old Scars, New Wounds and does that approach differ to Birth and the Burial?

“When we recorded Birth and The Burial, we did it in three months, we wrote the songs, got together, played through them, learned them and then recorded them. With Old Scars, we had a lot more time. We were able to do pre-production, which is essentially learning the songs, jamming together, getting comfortable with the songs, editing them if needed. We all contributed to the record, which was different to Birth and The Burial.”

With the experience you all have, how do you approach live performances and studio performances?

“I think there are two types of players, and they can be quite similar, there are those who are good either in the studio but aren’t good live, or vice versa, and there are those who are good in both. I think because we’ve been playing as musicians for a long time individually, we know what we’re doing and so we know what to do and what not to do. Which is good.”

Favourite song and why?

“From the first record it would be the title track, Birth and Burial. That song’s really melodic but heavy it also has a great vibe to it. Watching the crowd when we play it live is really interesting as people seem to be getting into it a lot. From the new record, it would have to be either The Talisman or Overexposure.”

Future plans?

“We’ll be touring in the new year, and if I have my way we’ll be touring for at least a year and a half hitting the road and playing everywhere we can.”

“I’d also just like to ask that people continue buying music, showing support to their favourite artists, as that’s the only way bands and musicians can make a living.”

In 2015, Act of Defiance released an absolute barnstorming album in Birth And The Burial, it drew serious praise from many in the metal community, and now they are back with their second album Old Scars, New Wounds.

The album starts with MIA, this song is an arpeggiated solid, clean cut of growling, thrashing metal, that kicks the listener in the gut and makes them stand to attention. Molten Core continues the assault with a fast riff base ceremony on the anger of the world. Overexposure calms things down a little in tempo, being a slightly slower, moving groove and headbanging song. The acoustic intro of The Talisman belies the sheer doom that is to come. With big heavy riffs that build nicely into Henry Derek’s soaring vocals. Lullaby of Vengeance is pure heaviness, a song that has groove, texture and pure badassery.

Circle of Ashes starts off with a chrome riff, movement and abrasive, making it an immediate live stand out, which considering the calibre of material that has preceded it, is saying something! Reborn follows, a moving, haunting slab of metal, with an absolute roaring solo, another song that should feature heavily in the future. Conspiracy of the Gods is perhaps my favourite track on the record, the octave intro really brings one into the feel of things, the imagery pained by the lyrics brings the slave to religion question to the forefront which is something that is quite relevant today. Another Killing Spree starts with a breaking staccato and drag riff, before moving into the punishing routine that will have moshpits starting when played live. Broken Dialect starts with arpeggios, before moving into a double blast, and a haunting chorus that sends shivers down the listener’s arms. Rise of Rebellion, the closing track on the record, starts with a haunting minor acoustic intro, before moving into an eastern themed riff with roaring lyrics and guitar parts, a fitting closer.

Old Scars, New Wounds is a brilliant dose of metal, it brings something fresh to the genre, and these songs are some of the best work that has been produced this year by anyone. These songs deserve a fair airing live, and the crowd will be sure to love them and sing along. A solid effort. 10/10